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Right start or Singapore math?


Immi
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I've used both. I really liked RS B, but since it covered everything in A again (just faster), I ended up just using B. C was okay, but we jumped ship to SM halfway through because it was too slow. That said, the great strength of RS is in the games and activities, which SM doesn't have at all. If I were doing it again and couldn't use what I'll describe below, I'd do SM and add in the RS games book.

 

At the end of the day, though, I prefer Miquon for the first and second grade levels, followed by BA for third. I know you weren't asking about either of those programs, but I have to throw it out there.

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I haven't used Singapore, so I can really only speak from the perspective of Rightstart.

We love it.  It gives a really solid understanding of numbers.  I love the way they introduce concepts and them come at them from a different angle, to reinforce it and deepen the understanding.  I have heard the complaint about RS that it jumps around.  Well, it does--but those jumps are pretty carefully planned, and work well.  They are either to approach from a different angle, or sometimes to allow the mind to work on a concept in the background while looking at something else, so that when you come back to it again the student is ready to leap forward.

 

I just took a look at the Singapore website, focusing on the kindergarten page (not sure what age your student is?)  The manipulatives are simialar in some ways.  Rightstart uses more of them, I think--tiles, cubes, tally sticks, balance (I like the balance for RS better, from the looks of it.)  But no "readers", for instance, not sure what they are.

 

 

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We used both Singapore EB a and b, along with RS A, for ds1's Prek/K years. We are dropping Singapore and (hopefully) continuing RS.

 

RS pros for us:

Great fit for my social, wiggly willie. He loves RS time.

Great fit for a kid whose cognitive ability outstrips their fine motor skills, as most of it is done orally or via games and activities.

Excellent thinking math curriculum. Ds learned so much, is showing signs of true understanding, and is retaining well too.

 

RS cons for us:

Prep time for me. Very teacher intensive curriculum. New baby coming and not sure I'll be able to keep doing it, though I plan to make my best effort.

Lots of small manipulatives to gather and organize/cards to cut out/arrange. If I'm not careful, my toddler gets into the storage bin I keep the lot in, and he scatters it everywhere while ds1 and I try to work. The program might be tougher than average to use when you have littles.

 

Sing pros:

Great strong curriculum. Ds learned well from it, and retained what he learned. He was able to take concepts from sing and apply to RS questions, and vice versa, which means to me that he really understood the math behind both ways of teaching.

Easy to use for me. Open the workbook, read, go.

 

Sing cons:

Ds dislikes it. Says it is boring, and dreads it. To be clear he dislikes most worksheets/workbooks and has fine motor delays - and the Singapore workbooks require writing answers far more than RS A does, so this may be of little consequence for other kids. To be fair, the workbooks are bright without clutter and quite appealing to my eye.

Some of the activities are geared for a class of kids or need a group to complete; since I am schooling just one right now, I had to improvise on those lessons. Not a really big deal, just a bit of a nuisance.

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I don't know anything about Rightstart, but am considering it for my 2nd child.  I'm considering it because I've been reading some threads and it seem that it's a very hands on approach and I think my 2nd child is like this.  So hard to tell since she's so young.

 

I am using Singapore math for my oldest.  I really like it.  I chose it because it got good reviews.  I will say that I think my son is a kinesthetic learner like my 2nd child.  That being said reasons why I think this program is working for him:

 

1.  For level one, I was using the textbook which is colorful (so visually apprealing).  Currently not using the textbook for level 2.

2.  I use Math-u-see blocks as manipulatives.

3.  He's good at it, so he does 4 or 5 problems at a time, and he's done. 

 

From my reading I think Rightstart is for kinesthetic learners and singapore isn't.  I think using the manipulatives along with Singapore math is good enough for my son. 

 

hth.

 

ETA:  We don't right down all the answers.  Most of the time it's done orally.

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Thank you both for your replies. I've never even heard of Miquon as I'm newly considering homeschooling. Will look into it-- thank you!

 

Since you're looking into Miquon, I'll also mention that I found that since Miquon only uses one type of manipulative for all topics (and you can carry that all the way through algebra, if you check out Education Unboxed videos), it seemed to really help cement the relationships between the topics. RS uses different manipulatives for almost every topic, and while having additional ways to explain things to a student struggling with a topic is wonderful, I prefer to have that as an option when needed rather than a forced march. You can always go off-script with RS, of course, but frankly, if you have enough background to do that you probably don't need as much hand-holding as RS is designed to provide. It's a great program for parents with with little math background who want to give their children a better understanding than they have themselves, but it's overkill if you know what you're doing.

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I think everyone above has given a good summary of the pros and cons, but I just wanted to add not to stress about it, because both are excellent choices. Ultimately, think about which one will realistically get done at your house. If you don't have many younger children and can really devote a good 15-30 minutes to teaching math each day, go with RightStart. But if you have a baby and a toddler and need your child to be a little more independent, go with Singapore. (Either program requires mom teaching and involved, but it's a lot easier to get a child started on some work in Singapore and then go change the baby or keep the toddler from wreaking havoc.)

 

The other practical matter to consider is your child's fine motor capability. You can always scribe for him or her if you go with Singapore, but it might help to know that it requires quite a bit more writing than Rightstart.

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I did RS A-1/2 of C (original version) and then Singapore.

I tried to switch to Singapore after B. However, eventually I switched back for 1/2 of C to complete our introduction to subtraction.

 

I really prefer the way RS introduces concepts like addition and subtraction. The child fully understands they "why" behind the process and deeply understand the conceptual how to perform the action before a traditional algorithm is introduced. It's almost like they wade into the concept. This is so much more effective, imo, and why I switched back for subtraction. Similarly, the mental math is mastered long before any pencil on paper stuff. 

 

In addition to the introduction of new concepts, I also appreciate the foundation RS gave us in place value. Singapore is a good program, but I really think RS is better for the early grades. 

 

I switched because I disliked teaching it. I wanted to see a clear, organized path. I like to know where we're headed, why, and how we'll get there. The old RS anyway didn't give me that. I didn't find it hard to teach, though. It's scripted/very open and go.

 

I did teach multiplication, division, and fractions with c-rods instead of/in addition to the Singapore way. I didn't know about them when we were learning addition and subtraction. If you are possibly interested in Miquon/c-rods, you could take a look at Education Unboxed videos. http://www.educationunboxed.com/The c-rods have been fantastic for learning here.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

My DD wasn't super into hands-on, so I went with SM. It's been a good fit. That along with the Rightstart games has been a great fit for her. As others said above, you probably can't go wrong with either one, and you can easily mix and match. Of SM, it seems many folks supplement other math curricula with the SM Challenging Word Problems a year behind their current level (provides review plus deeper thinking).

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I've not used Rightstart, but I did want to say that Singapore is indeed hands on. Per the HIG, every single concept is introduced first with manipulatives (cubes, counters, cards etc) before you ever bring out a book. None of this is mentioned in the textbook, which is why I wonder how people are teaching it without the HIG unless they intuitively know to do this. I sure didn't! Concrete, pictorial then abstract, that's Singapore. If ever my dd gets stuck, I know we've moved on from the concrete too quickly and back come out the c-rods or what have you.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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For those of you who have used RS in the past and found it hard to follow, the new, updated version is supposed to be even more teacher-friendly. The lesson plans are easier to follow at a glance, so less prep. There are sample pages on their website, as well as a YouTube video explaining the differences between V1 and V2.

 

Personally, I went with V1 because I found a great deal on it used. I also used B 10 years ago and didn't have trouble with it, so it was worth the savings to me. If dd really clicks with it and we decide to continue through C and beyond, we'll upgrade at that point.

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I chose RS because I am NOT a math person and I knew that I needed the scriptedness of the lessons. I looked carefully at both series and knew that I would have a hard time explaining and teaching Singapore as we moved up. It makes some jumps and assumes some understanding that I wasn't sure I had. I have learned a ton teaching RS and read several math books often recommended by the Hive and am enjoying learning the whys of math along with my kids.

 

For me, actually seeing and reading the books was hugely helpful in deciding!

 

Also I love the games and hands-on elements, especially for a wiggly boy. I love the Montessori dimension. I

keep all the manipulatives in plastic bin amd don't have any trouble keeping them organized, but I don't have a houseful of littles either.

 

I have taught the original series through E, lesson 85 and the revision through B, lesson 86 and I do think the second edition is easier to teach and better organized.

 

RS ends with level E, 4th grade for most, though there is a geometry level and a fractions unit coming out. Singapore will get you all the way to prealgebra without changing curriculum, I think.

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My oldest dd has dyscalculia, so I have used several math programs over the years, and RS is hands-down my favorite. It was the program that finally moved her forward in math. I cannot tell you how many times I have wished that I had found it when she was younger.

 

With my ds, I used it exclusively in Kindergarten and then added Singapore into the mix when he hit 1st grade.

 

My middle dd finished RS Level E last week, and she is currently in Singapore Primary 6B. We did skip some of the drawing in the later RS levels. She will definitely be ready for Algebra I by 8th grade.

 

To keep from losing my mind when the kids were younger, I set a timer for 20 minutes and ended the RS lesson at that point. The next day, we just picked up wherever we had left off. I know everyone talks about how teacher-intensive RS is, but with my kids, ALL math programs are teacher intensive!

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We use both. I started with Math in Focus, which is supposedly the "Americanized" Singapore math. It's fun. We like the text books and worksheets and it's well organized. Just a little pricey. Then I started watching the Right Start free webinars and got hooked! I ended up ordering RS2 Level A for my 4 year old. He loves the songs and the manipulatives. Sometimes I regret spending so much on RS2 manipulatives, you kind of feel "committed" for life....and I haven't been as consistent teaching it. It's so much easier to pull out the MIF text book and give my son a worksheet (which he actually enjoys doing) :) We'll probably stick with MIF next year. But reading this thread, I feel convicted to giving a little more effort to scheduling in RS more regularly!

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  • 3 weeks later...

I've not used Rightstart, but I did want to say that Singapore is indeed hands on. Per the HIG, every single concept is introduced first with manipulatives (cubes, counters, cards etc) before you ever bring out a book. None of this is mentioned in the textbook, which is why I wonder how people are teaching it without the HIG unless they intuitively know to do this. I sure didn't! Concrete, pictorial then abstract, that's Singapore. 

 

 

This!!  ^

 

I have come across SO many people using Singapore who just skip the Home Instructor Guide and teach it only from the textbook and workbook. I can see why they may be less then impressed then! Most of the value of the program is in the instructor guide. Singapore is extremely hands-on, uses a ton of manipulatives (they are listed per level on the Singapore Math website so you know which ones to get) and there are games and activities for every concept (all in the guide).

 

You also can't judge Singapore by it's Kindergarten books - the rest of the curriculum starting at Grade 1 is *completely* different. Previous poster mentioned the Singapore Essentials Kindergarten books being "open and go". Singapore is definitely not "open and go". It does require prep time. But it's also by far the strongest and most valuable curriculum we use in any subject.

 

I started with Singapore U.S. edition when my son was in Grade 2. We did level 1 that year. I find it very advanced. His mental math skills blow me away. I love the "extra's" that the program offers so you can customize how much review you do. There are "Intensive Practice" workbooks which cover the same material as the workbook. There are the "Challenging Word Problems" workbooks to use with each level if you want to. 

 

Cathy Duffy's review of Singapore Math is very accurate and she goes into detail explaining which concepts are covered in each level. Level 3 (which most use for Grade 3) starts to introduce some Middle School concepts and by Level 6 (Grade 6) the student is starting some high school concepts.

 

I would recommend Singapore both for natural "mathy" kids and also kids who don't think they like math. It has certainly made me love math! My son is very kinesthetic so the way the workbook questions are arranged (very creatively, puzzles, etc) are very appealing to him. And there is never too much. It's just the right amount (he does not love writing).

 

I am so happy with Singapore knowing he is getting a very solid foundation. Our current plan is after Singapore Level 6 to move on to either Stanford's Gifted online math program or do "Art of Problem Solving".

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  • 2 weeks later...

I LOVED the Right Start Math webinars that they used to hold every Wednesday at noon. I watched them every Wed at lunch with my 1st grader and preschooler. We already had MUS Alpha and all the blocks (in nice wooden cases), but after watching the RS webinars for a cpl months I felt compelled to get the RS2 Level A for my 4 yr old. It didn't work out as well as I thought it would. I LOVED math when I was in school and I thought I'd be excited about teaching it or at least as excited as I was about watching the RS webinars. I don't know if it's the scripting or what, but it really hasn't been that fun for me to teach RS math. And watching the MUS videos and working with the blocks was really killing my joy for teaching math. We ended up getting our third and final math curriculum for my 1st grader: Math in Focus (the Americanized version of Singapore math) and the workbooks are really fun for him and it doesn't require a lot of work on my part and I can see that he's retaining a lot of the information :) I regret spending $265 on RS2 A and $219 on MUS Alpha :(

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